23 Years Old and Time to Lose the Flab- Sonobello Boston

So far I have had my consultation. I feel that it...

2 Apr 2014

8 days pre

So far I have had my consultation. I feel that it went as expected. I had already done a lot of research on my own and read reviews on realself.com. I was expecting to do my upper and lower abs and back bra roll but was persuaded to add my waist to the mix because it will help give me a better shape. I am very petite (5 feet) but have always been chubby/overweight despite being on sports teams and living with a nutritionist. I just can't win! I am hoping that this will help flatten me out and I will of course continue to work out and eat well. I have my pre-op appt on Saturday and am scheduled for surgery on April 11th. I will add another update and pre-op pictures on Saturday or Sunday! I'm so excited to be doing this and just in time for graduation from grad school in May when my family will be flying in from across the country!

Pre-op postponed

5 Apr 2014

5 days pre

Unfortunately I came down with the plague (cough and strep throat) so I had to postpone my pre-op appointment until Wednesday morning. Luckily the lady on the phone didn't seem to think they would need to reschedule my actual appointment for surgery (on April 11). I also have 10 days worth of antibiotics now so I wonder if I won't need to get more...I have a week to go now so I'm going to make sure not to take an medication (like ibuprofen) or drink alcohol (I don't smoke so that's not a problem). I will also start to chug a lot more water than I normally drink! I want this to all go smoothly!

Just had my pre-op and it's go time on Friday!

9 Apr 2014

1 day pre

The Sonobello staff in Boston/Woburn is fantastic. They were so friendly and made me feel really comfortable. The doctor looked me over and told me what expectations would be realistic. He said that he would be able to do a lot of de-bulking and that liposuction will help a lot with contouring. He did express some concern about some extra skin but said that because I'm young it may not be a problem. I'm not expecting a bikini body necessarily so I'm still feeling okay with it. He also gave me my prescriptions and the arnica for bruising/swelling. I will start taking those today and the anitbiotics tomorrow. I'm already on antibiotics for the strep throat but he said I can just switch over. I will show up for my appointment Friday at noon. I promise I will post before pictures tomorrow or Friday morning at the latest. I'm trying to get a roommate to take them so they look better. I'm so excited for Friday!

The Day Before

10 Apr 2014

1 day pre

I'm really excited and kinda nervous for tomorrow. I started taking my antibiotics today and started the Arnicare yesterday (they are small pellets that you place under your tongue and they taste kinda sugary). I ran out of batteries for my camera but just bought some more on my way to work. I think I have everything that I need for tomorrow except for the pads for leaking. I will have my roommate with me for 24 hours after surgery but I'm hoping I will be able to get to the bathroom/shower on my own. Has anybody been able to do this or has everyone pretty much needed help? I know she will help me if I need it.

Pictures and measurements

The Day

12 Apr 2014

1 day post

Okay, I went in for my appointment yesterday around noon. The first thing they did was take a urine test, which was kinda awkward cause I had to take out the open cup (no lid). I sat in a "relaxation room" next where I changed and put on surgical underwear and a bra, as well as compression stockings and no slip socks. My nurse took front, side, and back pictures and then put a hypodermic needle in a vein in my hand just for emergencies. The doctor then came in and marked me up. When he finished I took my medicine "cocktail" and waited 30 mins to kick in.

They then helped me up and brought me into the next room which was the operating room. I took off my gown and lied down on my stomach. The incision marks were just quick stings and then put in the numbing fluid. The rest is kinda hazy but I know he put in the saline fluid and used a long, skinny rod to help (break up the fat?) and suck it out. I could easily see two jars fill up with yellow fat. While the whole experience was uncomfortable I would definitely classify it as less painful than getting a large tattoo without pain meds. Afterwards my skin felt doughy and super strange. I couldn't wait for them to get the compression garment on me. rest later...falling asleep

The Day Part 2

12 Apr 2014

1 day post

After getting in the compression garments plus the abdominal binder they rolled me out to my roommate's car. I don't remember much from there except crying for no particular reason, getting home, and going to bed. I slept until 8pm for meds and again at 12 am for meds. My roommate helped me each time but I threw up at around midnight. I woke up again at 4am and went to the bathroom on my own. I was fine but had some trouble bleeding all over the bathroom floor, which I cleaned up. I was in a lot more pain than day 2. I fell asleep instantly after all that and did not eat anything since Friday morning before the operation.

Day 2

12 Apr 2014

1 day post

I woke up feeling a lot more functional but had the worst pain trying to get in and out of bed. Walking around feels pretty good. I have been sleeping a lot today. I tried to eat some soup earlier but threw it up. I just recently ate some crackers and cheese and that seems to be staying down. I'm also drinking some fruity tea without caffeine and zero calorie Powerade. I changed my pads last night and seemed to have stopped leaking this afternoon. Yay! I have not really seen myself without the garment and binder on but I can tell my hips are smaller/less bulkier. I will post a pic tomorrow or tonight when I decided to hit the shower. I read some complaints about their garment getting soaked but mine feels okay. I can tell there are stains on my binder though. It will be nice to throw that away in 2 more days. I can also take my compression stockings off right about now. Oh and I wanted to mention the compression garment(s). I have a black bottom with a zipper on the side and a top with 3/4 length sleeves that has hooks down the middle. I feel that the top may be hard to wear with most clothes and it kinda hurts where the top meets the bottom. I wish is was a one piece without sleeves but I guess I will just have to make it 10 days. Oh and as a heads up, you can really only sleep on your back!

Day 2 pics in garments

12 Apr 2014

1 day post

Pics while CG are in the wash

12 Apr 2014

1 day post

I look better than I thought I would. And only day 2! I'm wearing spanx like stuff while I'm waiting for my day 1 garment to dry.

More pics

12 Apr 2014

1 day post

Day 4

14 Apr 2014

3 days post

Still very sore but my spirits are up. I walked in to work today (about 20 mins). I feel that the CG are making it a little hard to breathe but it's not too bad. I'm done taking the pain meds and switching over to motrin. My roommate commented that my bruising is super minimal and I had no problem with the incision sites passed the first 24 hours which was a relief. I did wake up in pain last night but I think that was because I found myself trying to sleep on my side. I have some questions about the CG. Should I be wearing them for 24 hours for the first 10 days or 12? And I was told to not wear tight clothes that will leave indentations but what if my CG leave indentations? Anybody know? Thanks everyone, I will keep posting updates and pictures.

Day 5

15 Apr 2014

4 days post

I took more pictures but they really don't look any different from Day 2 so I will wait until I've hit one week, or on Sat when I have my post-op appointment, to post more. I slept without the CG last night and kind of wish I didn't. I feel like I hurt more today than I did yesterday. Maybe I over did it with the walking yesterday. I've noticed feeling tired a lot quicker in the day which is probably pretty normal. My roommates have mentioned that I look a lot less bulky and one of them complimented my waist today! I'm wearing a long skirt with a shirt tucked in. Plan on hearing from me sometime on Saturday!

One Week In

18 Apr 2014

7 days post

So today is the first day I'm not feeling quite as sore. Still super sore but I think if I dropped a pencil I could bend over and pick it up. My bruises are hitting that yellow/purple stage. My garment also feels a bit more comfortable today. I did receive my second one in the mail but am not supposed to switch til Day 10. I did notice that it is a size larger. Is that supposed to be right? I'll definitely ask during my check-up tomorrow. I will post pic updates tomorrow but wanted to say that I see a major difference in my waistline and hips but not so much in my back and lower abdomen (I'm sure due to swelling). I hope you are all doing well!

Post-Op Appointment

20 Apr 2014

9 days post

Yesterday I went in for my one week post-op appointment. Aside from waiting 45 mins in the waiting room, it went pretty well. I saw a nurse who took pictures and said that it looked like I was healing well. She reminded me to exercise as much as I feel able to. I've been walking a lot in the last week but I don't feel like I can jog/run quite yet. Anything that causes jiggling still hurts. My bruises are gone for the most part and I've pretty much stopped taking pain meds (even over the counter). I scheduled an appointment for a Venus freeze session (which was included in my "package" for one month from now and my three month appointment will be in July. I was also given Vivite Daily Firming Cream and an Obagi cream for scars (which I was told not NOT start using until my 3 month appointment because if I use it too soon it could cause my incision sites to become discolored). Also, I've begun noticing the lumps/hard spots. The nurse just said to massage them with the firming cream and they should go away eventually.
One week measurements: waist= 33in and hips are 43in. 2 inches lost in one week!

A note on my second stage garment

23 Apr 2014

12 days post

It's beige with suspenders, allows me to wear my own bra, and has "legs" that go down to my knees. It is SO much more comfortable but I really hate that the legs are so long. You can see them in pretty much all of my dresses and shorts would be impossible. I tried rolling them up but that only works for 2 minutes. I'm thinking of cutting them but am worried I will ruin it. I also ordered another Marena garment from Amazon that does not have legs. I want to be able to wear both anyway since this will be my life for three months (right during the summer!) Any ideas?
Also, I beginning to notice bigger changes for the better in how I look so I will be posting more pics soon! I've just been forgetting in the morning/running out the door for work. I have a lot of hard spots but I'm just trying to massage them when I can.
I just saw a friend I hadn't seen since last August and he said he couldn't tell I'd had anything done...which is good because I had gained 20 pounds since I had last seen him!!
I was also wondering if any of you have had to deal with negative reactions from judgey people. I've recently found out that a lot of people think I did it because of a recent break up but I had the appointment scheduled before the break up ever happened...

Pre and 2 week pics

24 Apr 2014

13 days post

Ack! First sight of loose skin

29 Apr 2014

18 days post

I've noticed some more of the swelling go down in the "pooch" area. It's almost looking pretty flat which is good but I've noticed some loose looking skin at the bottom. I've been applying firming cream twice a day so hopefully that helps. I will post pictures closer to Friday so I can hit the three week mark.